Chuck vs School
by Maverick41
Summary: Just a regular story about Chuck and the gang in school...well not everyone actually...and Sarah looks like Jenny Burton instead of a mini Sarah Walker...so yeah. My summary sucks and I'll change it when I think of something better. Just give this story a read, you might be able to tolerate it.
1. Who's that? Definitely not Vicki Vale!

**A/N: Well I'm back! Hooray!? Booo!? I really hope you guys yell the former.**

**Now, this is a school story…AU obviously…and in this, Sarah Walker looks like Jenny Burton. The reason I'm still going to be calling her Sarah Walker is because it's easier, for everyone. But keep in mind, she does not, I repeat, does not, look like a mini Sarah Walker. She looks like Jenny Burton; brunette, braces, the works.**

**This story idea hit me the same way Domino Effect did. Couldn't sleep and the idea wouldn't leave me the hell alone.**

**I want to thank Kilobyte44 and ItWasAWildIdea for being my inspiration for this story…even if they don't know it.**

**Additional thanks to my beta uplink2.**

**I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here. **

**Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot. Oh yeah, if some of the references don't coincide with the year, ie. I refer to something that hasn't even been created yet, I do apologize.**

…

**Chapter 1 (Who's that? Definitely not Vicki Vale!)**

**October 1998**

**Los Angeles, Echo Park**

**Casa Bartowski**

His alarm went off and Chuck inwardly groaned.

It had practically been two months since school had started, but still, he hated waking up so damn early. You would think that since it was his senior year he would be more enthusiastic…He wasn't. Sure, he had great friends, and his classes weren't particularly hard, but it was just so…so _predictable_. Chuck couldn't wait for college, well that is if he could gather enough courage to start the application process. He had time, he justified. But once he got into Stanford, Chuck knew that things would definitely be more…_interesting._

Chuck swung his arm and pounded his clock into submission.

_What can a few more minutes of sleep hurt?_

The moment he closed his eyes to fall back into a beautiful slumber however, a hammering came at his door with his sister Ellie's voice following shortly after.

"Chuck, get your lazy butt up before I drag you out myself!"

He loved his sister. Chuck didn't particularly care for her at the moment, but there was no denying how close the two siblings were. It probably had to do with the fact that she had basically raised him on her own since both their parents had abandoned them.

For whatever reason their mom, Mary, had left when they were younger. And even though she was the first to leave, and their father Stephen had stayed for the time being, their dad might as well have left along with her. Mary leaving affected her husband just as much as it did her kids, if not more. Ever since that fateful day; their dad became too much of a mess to really be a presence in his children's lives. Chuck guessed that Stephen had cracked under the pressure and couldn't handle the major responsibility of raising _his_ two kids on his own. He must have decided to up and leave, just like the parent before him.

Chuck was the tender age of 13, and Ellie 16, when they were left all alone. But that didn't seem to deter his sister any. She not only kept them together, but Ellie had somehow gotten a job and made enough money to keep them afloat. He had no idea how she was able to pull off working full-time, at such a young age, and still attend school, but she did. Now here they were, living in a quaint apartment complex in Echo Park, while he attended Burbank High School, and his sister attended UCLA in hopes of becoming a doctor.

She's a damn superhero!

Chuck grabbed his pillow and pulled it atop his face.

In a muffled voice, he yelled out, "Few more minutes!"

Ellie kicked the door open, took the pillow that was covering her little brother's face, and slammed it back down on his head, causing him to yelp.

"I have to head to school early. Breakfast is on the table, so get up and get ready for school."

With that, Ellie spun with a flourish and exited the room.

Chuck reluctantly got up and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, change of clothes, breakfast, and hurried goodbyes with Ellie; he headed to school.

He didn't know why, but as he drew closer to his destination, Chuck felt like things were all of a sudden, far from _predictable_.

* * *

**Los Angeles, Burbank**

**Burbank High**

Chuck had English up first, taught by Mr. Montgomery. It wasn't his favorite subject, but Chuck liked the teacher, and having the class with Morgan Grimes did make it better.

Morgan, a.k.a. the bearded one…coined for practically being the only teenager his age with a full on man beard…was Chuck's long time best friend. Their relationship started ever since Chuck saved Morgan from getting his butt kicked by a girl named Suzie back in middle school. The strength of their friendship only flourished after each of Chuck's parents left. Morgan did everything in his power to lessen the sting of his best friend's parents' abandonment. Usually he did that by being there whenever he was needed. Those times mostly consisted of all night gaming sessions…Good times, considering the circumstances_._

These two were practically brothers, which was why the thought of Morgan being with Ellie slightly creeped Chuck out. Morgan, bless his soul, had the hugest crush on his sister. Of course, Eleanor never reciprocated those feelings because, aside from finding Morgan odd, Ellie could barely tolerate the little man. Still, she put up with the bearded one and still allowed him to come over because of how important she knew he was to her little brother. No matter how much Ellie did for Chuck, she knew he needed Morgan as well.

As his best friend rambled on and on about their recent weekend Chuck, half listening, wondered why Mr. Montgomery was late. He was pretty casual when it came to rules, but this was still late even for him.

Just as he finished that thought, his English teacher walked in, but with somebody in tow.

Mr. Montgomery placed his briefcase on his desk and turned to his students. "Sorry for my lateness class, but I would like to introduce you all to a new student. Class, this is Sarah Walker."

Sarah turned toward the rest of her peers and her eyes immediately found a pair of big, warm, chocolaty orbs staring back at her. She felt the blush creep up her neck and unconsciously, she smiled, revealing her slightly enlarged two front teeth and her shiny braces. Sarah shook herself out of her daze and looked over the rest of her classmates. She immediately regretted it since all she saw were bored, indifferent, judgmental looks. She missed the loving openness of her previous inquiry. When Sarah set out to find the owner of the eyes that mesmerized her, Mr. Montgomery's voice cut her short of her search.

"Sarah, why don't you take your seat now?" The teacher pointed to an empty desk in the spot nearest the front of the class. Sarah nodded and reluctantly complied, not wanting to make a bad impression on her first day.

Seeing as he was late, Mr. Montgomery hurried to prepare everything for the day. "Class, just give me a few minutes to prepare your lesson for today."

Chuck could have sworn he blew a head gasket. _What the? _One minute he was starring at one of the most bewitching girls he had ever seen, and the moment their eyes connected, all of a sudden he's starring at the back of her head. True, she wasn't beautiful in the classical sense, in fact, if you probably asked anybody but Chuck, they would tell you she looked rather average. But there was something that drew him like a moth to flame. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a connection there that made his heart flutter.

Sarah…her name is Sarah. And if it wasn't for Morgan talking him into sitting near the back of the room, he maybe possibly conceivably could have sat next to her. Luckily, Mr. Montgomery didn't believe in assigned seating. All Chuck had to do was get to class early and somehow devise a way for Sarah to sit next to him. _Piece of cake_.

All of a sudden, a waving hand entered the field of his vision. Chuck turned his head to find the owner of said hand.

"Morgan, what are you doing?" Chuck went back to starring at the back of Sarah's head.

"Chuck my man, you totally spaced out there. And what's with the big goofy smile? I've never seen…" Morgan followed his best friend's line of sight, and it all snapped into place. "OH! Why didn't you say you liked the new…"

Chuck's eyes went wide as his hands shot to the bearded one's mouth.

"Morgan…" Chuck hissed.

Grimes could do nothing but nod his head vigorously. But when Chuck removed his hands, Morgan winked exaggeratedly, and made a show of zipping up his mouth and throwing away the key like a caricature.

Chuck just rolled his eyes and looked to the front of the class where the teacher was beginning with his lesson plan. He couldn't seem to focus for long however, because his attention started drifting off again to a certain brunette.

As he continued to gaze at Sarah, one thought kept running through his mind.

_Definitely interesting  
_

* * *

Sadly, after English, Chuck took too long gathering up enough _force_ to talk to the new girl. By the time he was ready, she had already left. That didn't bring him down however because he felt he would see her again. How big can a High School be anyway?

After his next class, Computer Programming which was taught by Mr. Winterbottom and was by far his favorite subject, he spent the habitual 15 minute break after second period with Morgan and some of his other friends; Skip Johnson and Anna Wu. But after a bit, he decided to start heading to his third class early. Math was his second favorite subject after all.

Chuck was halfway there when a surprising sight stopped him in the middle of the hallway.

_Heather Chandler and Dick Duffy talking to Sarah?_

Sure, it was possible that those two would strike up a friendship with Sarah. After all, Chuck really didn't know a thing about the new girl. But the chances of that were still rather slim, and it had nothing to do with Sarah.

Heather and Dick were two of the most popular kids at Burbank High. However, they weren't friendly and popular like Carina Miller or Hannah Tremblay, or even the clichéd popular kids who seemed to have a bit of a superiority complex like Bryce Larkin and Jill Roberts. No, these two were mean and popular. So the sight of the both of them with Sarah made him apprehensive. He shook himself out of his stupor and decided to take it for what it looked like, the new girl making friends.

Chuck only took a couple of steps before he saw Dick walk off with an arrogant smile on his face. Heather followed suit, but not before knocking all of Sarah's books down to the ground. Chuck chastised himself. He should have seen this coming and prevented it somehow.

Not even thinking about it, Chuck rushed over to help. His trusty Converse sneakers squeaking all the while, as it scuffed against the shiny hallway tiles underneath him. Skidding to a stop, he crouched down and proceeded to gather up all the papers and books strewn across the floor.

Sarah wanted to run and hide, but she didn't want to give those two assholes the pleasure of knowing how much they had gotten to her. She knew she wasn't the prettiest, smartest, funniest, or even the most fun, but why did people time and again have to point that out. It was her own damn fault just as well. Sarah had fallen victim to those two idiots' faux kindness.

How could she have been so naïve? The fact that her family had moved countless of times because of her dad's job, made sure of the fact that Sarah had built walls around her heart. She had closed herself off and had fallen into the background in hopes of getting by unseen. Why put yourself out there and make attachments just too either end up disappointed or having to leave? It was those stupid brown eyes of that guy in first period. They were able to make her drop her guard, and now look what happened…_STUPID!_

Wiping away the single tear that had graced her soft cheek, she bent down to pick up her things, but was shocked she wasn't alone. _How did I not notice him? Probably another guy pretending to be nice just because he wants something._

Having gathered everything, Chuck stood, but his head was still down since he was so focused on balancing all the papers and books he had in his hands, so he wouldn't drop them like some type of klutz.

"Those guys are…whoa! Ok I think I got it under control…"

He finally looked up, sporting one of his many patented smiles. "…Those guys are jerrrkkssssss…" Chuck's train of thought left him as he got lost in those eyes once more. "…Uh…Hi" _Oh way to go, great first impression!_

Chuck was so busy berating himself; he didn't notice the slight flushness coloring Sarah's cheeks. Hell, even if he did see it, he would have never believed it was because of him.

The moment the stranger revealed his face, Sarah knew she was a goner. That smile was absolutely heart melting. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished, and in its place was an adorable expression of, what…_Awe, surprise, horror, disgust? Why is he looking…Oh my god those eyes! Why do they seem so…Those are the same eyes as the ones from first period! He's the one!_

Sarah swallowed hard, reached over, and after showing a slightly nervous smile, slowly grabbed her things.

"Thanks"

Seeing her smile broke Chuck out of his trance. God he could stare at her all day…and no, that's not creepy at all.

"Yeah, no problem. Umm, it would probably be a good idea to stay away from those two."

Sarah chuckled. "You're probably right." She shifted her stuff under her left arm, and with a weird amount of courage that came out of thin air, stuck out her right.

"My name is Sarah."

Chuck promptly shook her hand, both of them trying their hardest to remain under control from the electricity they felt when their hands touched.

"Yeah, I-I think you're in my English class…I'm Charles Irving Bartowski, but everyone just calls me Chuck."

He smiled, which in turn got a smile out of Sarah. Neither of them realized how they were just standing there, hands clasped, gazing at one another.

A voice broke them both out of their dream world, and they both quickly retracted their hands as if they've just been burnt.

"Chuckles, where have you been?!"

Carina Miller came bouncing toward the two. Before looping her arm through Chuck's and adhering herself to his left side, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which made him turn beet red.

Carina was one of those well known and well loved students. She had a reputation for being overtly flirtatious while also making it a point of being nice to everyone…Unless you were a complete prick that is. Now, Carina didn't go out of her way to hang with the less popular kids, like say the nerds, in fact, the only nerd she was truly friends with was Chuck, and to a lesser extent Morgan. But she was very approachable and courteous the times she wasn't acting coquettish. And although a majority of the student body liked her, at the same time, they were just as intimidated by her as well. Don't be fooled, the red head was definitely not of the old adage, 'what you see is what you get'. She had brains, and if you messed with her or the people she cared about, she wouldn't think twice about kicking your ass.

Carina wasn't always the way she was now. During her early freshmen and sophomore years of High School, she was not only beautiful, but she was straight-laced as well. It was the aftermath of her relationship with long term boyfriend Bryce Larkin, at the end of sophomore year that made her act the way she did now. Bryce was always pressuring her for more, and because she thought she was in 'love', she pushed the envelope a little more with their relationship at a party one night. They didn't have sex, but it was close to it. Of course, Bryce tried to get more out of her that night, but she had refused since she felt like it wasn't the right time. Carina didn't know why, maybe Bryce was being pressured by his friends, or maybe even being picked on, but the following school day, he started bragging to everyone about how he had 'nailed' her. She tried her hardest to refute those claims, but no one seemed to believe her. She broke up with the douche of course, but the damage was already done.

All the whisperings and the things she heard nearly destroyed her. She tried ignoring it for a time, but it always ate away at her. So, Carina decided that if that's what everyone thought, then why fight it. Miller became flirty and playful with everyone, and just like that, people started talking about her less and less. She didn't know if it was because they thought she owned up to all the gossip, or because they simply just got tired of talking about her. But she made herself believe that if she was purposely acting like this, then whatever people said wouldn't matter, or hurt as much, since she chose to be this way. The best way to deal with teasing and gossip was to own it and control it. Carina wasn't hurting anyone, and she never went too far. It was all just a mask she wore. Every time she slipped on that mask however, it became easier and easier making her get lost in her own artificial persona. Only one person kept her grounded enough to remember the real Carina inside.

Carina Miller bumped into Charles Irving Bartowski mid junior year. Right away she knew he was different. Chuck never judged her, or acted a certain way because of her reputation. He was so genuinely kind, that it got her curious as to what he thought about all the gossip that had been said about her. His response was that he didn't listen to that crap, and anyone who believed stuff like that needed their heads examined. Suffice it to say, they became quick friends. And after only a short amount of time, she definitely became smitten with the nerd. I mean here was this sweet, intelligent, funny, cute, charming guy, who treated her with the utmost respect and kindness. Someone who knew the girl deep down and made her feel special. The fact that he became a loyal friend and actually hated Bryce because of what he did to her; didn't hurt either. Who wouldn't fall for Chuck?

Every time Carina tried to make her feelings known however, in hopes of taking their relationship to the next level, Chuck never reciprocated. She didn't know if it was because he wasn't interested or if it just flew over his head. She was willing to bet on the latter. The red head never pushed too much though, because as wonderful as it would be to _be with him_, if he didn't feel the same and it ruined their friendship, it would kill her. Carina could live with not being his girlfriend, but she didn't think she could go on, not being as close as they've become.

Over time, her infatuation with him dissipated. Mainly because she really loved having him as her one true rock, and didn't want to risk anything. She still had a minor crush on him though, and she still flirted and teased him because, well…it was fun as hell and he was so adorable when he'd get embarrassed. But overall, she was happy with where they were at.

Carina instinctively tightened the hold she had on Chuck's arm as she looked at the girl across from her. _Brown hair that looks dried out and quite possibly a dye job, shy looking, slightly out of date wardrobe, decent looking but definitely has the potential to look stunning with the proper make-over, and is that…it is…Braces. _Carina smiled.

She was standing off to the side when these two had their staring match. It was obvious there was something there, but she wouldn't let anyone take Chuck away from her, that was for sure.

After Chuck fought off the redness in his face from Carina's kiss, he cleared his throat.

"Uh, umm…Sa-Sarah, this is my friend Carina Miller. C-Carina, this is Sarah Walker, she's new here."

Sarah showed a tight lipped smile as she extended her hand, which Miller shook. She didn't know why, but she had the sudden urge to gouge out the eyes of this redhead.

"Nice to meet you Carina"

"You too Walker; if you ever need help finding your way around school, or even Burbank, don't hesitate to ask."

Sarah was a little curious as to why Carina called her by her last name, but she figured that's just how she addressed people and promptly shrugged it off.

"Thanks for the offer. I might take you up on that."

The bell that signaled the end of break rang and Carina quickly let go of Chuck just to attach herself onto Sarah.

"What's your next class, I'll walk with you."

Sarah was a little surprised, but if she was a friend of Chuck then she must be alright…even though technically Sarah knew nothing about the guy.

"I have Chemistry in room 102 next. It's nice of you to offer, but you don't…"

Carina cut her off.

"Nonsense, I want to. Plus, it looks like you're going to be in my class. And at lunch, come find me so we can talk about all the things you need to know to survive Snoresville."

The red head started dragging the 'brunette' off to class. Over her shoulder Carina yelled, "We'll see you later Chucky!"

The whole thing about keeping your enemies closer kept running through Carina's mind. Sarah wasn't really her enemy, and she didn't hate her, she didn't even know her. But she saw the way Chuck and Sarah were with each other. It was only a matter of time before something happened between the two. Carina tempered her jealousy. She wouldn't stop Chuck from finding love, even if that meant it wasn't with her. She honestly wanted him to be happy. That's why she needed to interrogate Sarah. But no matter who ended up chuck's girlfriend, she reaffirmed herself that no one was taking her nerd away from her.

The moment the girls were out of his field of vision, he shook his head and went to class. Carina being nice to someone wasn't a surprise. She was genuinely a kind individual. God he wanted to punch Bryce in the face! Still, there was a small part of him that felt like Carina was up to something. They were as close as he was with Morgan, so he knew he was probably right.

Chuck sighed. It was definitely going to be hard to focus in math today.

* * *

**Los Angeles, Echo Park **

**Casa Bartowski**

Chuck was right. But not only couldn't he focus in math, his mind kept drifting off the rest of the school day. Carina and Sarah were at the forefront of his mind often. He deeply cared for Carina, and he knew Sarah was in good hands with her, but he still wondered what was going on.

He unfortunately didn't see both Carina and Sarah during lunch, but he was quite surprised to find out that Sarah was in his 5th period history class. The only bad thing was that their history teacher, Ms. Beckman, assigned seats in alphabetical order. Who knew Bartowski was so damn far from Walker alphabetically? He only got to say hi to Sarah before they both had to go their separate ways.

Chuck thought during his last class, 6th period P.E., which was taught by Big Mike and had both Morgan and Carina as his classmates; that he would be able to make the red head talk. Hell, Carina seemed to love to talk just as much as he did. And she did talk, just not anything too detailed about Sarah. She mostly deflected and went on the offensive, asking if Chuck liked the 'brunette'. Of course that completely caught him off guard and he denied it wholeheartedly…which no one believed, not even himself. Still, for some reason, it kind of made him happy when Carina said that even though she didn't know Sarah all too well, she liked her. Why it made him so happy, he didn't know.

Chuck walked into the courtyard of his and Ellie's apartment complex. He knew he needed to get to know Sarah better, but why, he couldn't fathom. It just felt right.

As Chuck got to the edge of the fountain, he passed his long time neighbor John Casey, who was watering his plants in the front of his apartment at the moment.

"Hey Casey!"

John grunted, "Bartowski," as he went back to tending to his plants.

John Casey was definitely a man of few words. Chuck didn't know how long he had been living in that apartment, but Casey was there ever since he and Ellie moved into the complex. John Casey was a 27 year old ex-Marine, and he figured that Casey would have still been a Marine to this day if it wasn't for his accident during his service. His neighbor never went into much detail about the event, and all Chuck got out of it was something about being shot up in Kuwait. Whatever happened, he figured it was the reason Casey walked around with a limp and grimaced every time he planted with his right leg. Being in constant pain was a good excuse in having a less then cordial attitude. Chuck could tell Casey loved being in the Marines, and if something he loved was taken away from him, Chuck would probably go around scowling and grunting at people too.

It didn't matter how rough Casey seemed to be, Chuck knew his neighbor was a big ole Sugar Bear on the inside. John always looked out for the Bartowskis, even going as far as helping them financially from time to time, with no expectation of anything in return.

John Casey was more like an older brother than a neighbor. A very gruff and standoffish older brother, but he was family. It worked since the ex-Marine didn't seem to have much of a family of his own too.

Chuck entered his apartment without another word to the big guy. He knew Casey wasn't one for, 'lady feelings', as the gruff giant liked to call it.

After stashing his backpack in his room, he started on dinner. Ellie would be coming home after work in a couple of hours, and he needed to finish cooking so he would be able to start on his homework. It was a good thing Ellie taught him how to cook. I mean his sister already went to school and paid the bills, the least he could do was tend to the housework.

As Chuck put the meatloaf in the oven, he started thinking of tomorrow and what he needed to do in order to get to know one Sarah Walker better.

* * *

**Los Angeles, Echo Park**

**Walker Residence**

Sarah threw her backpack to the side as she sat on top of the kitchen counter to watch her mom go about preparing dinner. Emma turned to her daughter with a sympathetic smile on her face.

"How was your day sweetie?"

Sarah gave a noncommittal shrug. "It was ok."

"Honey, you know how sorry I am we had to move again right?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Mom it's not your fault. I get that we had to move…_again…_because of Dad's job…Besides I'll be graduating High School soon. Then I'll be off to college."

Emma gave a sad smile. She was definitely going to miss her daughter once she leaves for college.

"So, did you make any new friends?"

"I did meet this one girl Carina. She's really cool, and she actually wants to show me around the city this weekend."

Mrs. Walker was absolutely relieved. Emma knew how her daughter shut herself off at times. At least she made a friend…possibly more?

"That's great honey…Anyone else!?" Emma had such a hopeful expression on her face.

Sarah looked down and started picking at her nails.

"There was this one guy…Chuck. Didn't really talk to him much but he seemed really nice."

Emma was beaming. _A BOY!_

"Is he cute?"

Sarah looked at her mom with her classic 'O' face as her cheeks heated up.

"Mom!"

Emma kept silent and just stared at her daughter waiting for her answer.

Seeing as her mom wouldn't drop the subject, she relented.

"Yes ok, he's very cute…You happy now?"

Emma just nodded, kissed her daughter on the forehead, and went back to her work in the kitchen.

"Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours when your dad comes home from work."

Suddenly, a 5 year old bundle of energy came prattling into the kitchen.

Sarah hopped off the counter and scooped her younger sister, Molly, into her arms. Sarah loved her younger sister so much.

"How was preschool Molly?"

"It was fun!"

Sarah chuckled. "I need to get started on some homework, but I promise we'll play later, ok?"

Molly was sad but she understood. Once her older sister put her down, Molly ran off to go play in her own room.

Sarah grabbed her bag pack, went into her room, and flopped down on the bed. When she thought about her mom's question about how her day was, all she could think about was Chuck.

_Well that's interesting.  
_

* * *

**A/N (2): Ok so how was that? There was a lot of background information on characters because I made it that way. I hope it went smoothly. Oh and if anyone is worried, Carina will TRY not to get in the way TOO MUCH of Chara. She'll still flirt and act possessive, but I don't think she will be a PLI to Chuck…maybe…not…**

**I'm not quite sure what characters are going to have significant roles or even what characters show up, so your guess is as good as mine. Still working on where I want this to go.**

**On a side note, Hannah Tremblay is Hannah from the show. You probably all know that, but I just had to put it out there. Came up with the last name since Kristin Kreuk is Canadian. At first I was going to have the name Hannah Mckay but…well you know. I just want to say that Hannah Mckay is a total badass, and I love Yvonne Strahovski and she's a wonderful actress…but…I don't like seeing her as anyone other than Sarah Walker, wife of Charles Bartowski. That's probably ridiculous of me, but it is what it is.**

**FYI, I can't promise regular updates, but I'll try.**

**Any and all reviews are much appreciated.**


	2. Blue top, little buttons…You like?

**A/N: Wow, I'm quite surprised by all the support. A lot of people have expressed that they've thought this story was like many others on this site, and still decided to give it a shot…Awesome! I'll try to do you guys/gals proud, but I'm going to write what comes to me. Hopefully it won't turn out too predictable and similar to other fanfics.**

**On a side note, I wanted to thank all the guest reviewers; you're all amazing. And to Hannah, you really love it? I hope I continue to write something that deserves your love lol.**

**Additional thanks to my beta uplink2.**

…**.**

**It has come to my attention that esardi has unfortunately passed away. We've only exchanged a handful of messages, but in those messages, he was always trying to help me out. His wonderful reviews, words, thoughts, have definitely helped me, and I'm sure everyone else he's come into contact with. He will definitely be missed.**

**My thoughts and wishes go out to everyone connected in any way to esardi.**

…**..**

**I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here. **

**Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot. Oh yeah, if some of the references don't coincide with the year, ie. I refer to something that hasn't even been created yet, I do apologize.**

…

**Chapter 2  
**

**October 1998**

**Los Angeles, Echo Park**

**Walker Residence**

Sarah opened her eyes for the third time in less than an hour and glanced at the alarm clock, once again. She sighed as she wondered why time was passing so slowly…and why in the hell she was awake at this hour.

Her first class,_ with Chuck, _wasn't until 8, and her dad wouldn't even be giving her a lift to school until 7:30. So why, on God's green earth, was she awake at 5 in the morning…Well 5 minutes till 5 to be more exact.

Sarah Lisa Walker loved her sleep. Her parents could definitely attest to that by the way their daughter acted, oh so 'cheerily', every time they had the unfortunate task of waking sleeping beauty. Alarm clocks weren't much help since Sarah usually slammed down on the snooze button, sometimes a little too forcefully, just to get a couple extra winks. Hell, the Walkers were buying alarm clocks in bulk!

So one stands to wonder why Sarah couldn't sleep. And why she wasn't more upset about this whole dilemma.

As the numbers of the normally annoying device by her bedside shifted from 4:59 to 5:00am, Sarah decided it was hopeless and promptly tossed the blankets off her body. If she couldn't get back to sleep, then she might as well get an early start on getting ready.

Sarah took a shower and oddly enough, took an extra 10 minutes more then she usually did on deciding what to wear. Her wardrobe choice was a simple combination of jeans and a blue top with little buttons. It was one of her best outfits, which wasn't really saying much since most of her clothes were bought with the sole purpose of making her stand out less. Still, she felt pretty in it, and she hoped _Chu-_…she hoped it was a good choice.

When Sarah entered the kitchen and Jack noticed his daughter, he dropped the forkful of eggs that was halfway to his mouth. The fork produced a loud 'clank' when it came into contact with his plate. That same noise made Emma jump, who was cooking at the stove at the moment, and had her back to her husband, and unknowingly to Sarah. When Emma turned around, her mouth made that classic 'O' face…which apparently ran in the Walker family.

Sarah rolled her eyes at her parent's theatrics and took a seat at the dining table across from her father.

"Hilarious!"

Jack smiled. "Darlin, do you know what time it is?"

"I get it dad, it's early. I figured you guys would be happy since neither of you had to wake me up for once."

Emma walked over and shoveled a hearty amount of scrambled eggs onto her daughter's plate. Sarah thanked her mom and dug into her breakfast.

Jack eyed his precious girl warily. She looked like his daughter, and she even sounded like his daughter. But why was she up earlier than usual, and why did she have such a gigantic smile on her face for that matter? It didn't matter what the occasion was, the words Sarah, morning, and happy, just didn't go together.

"So, what's got my baby girl so happy this morning?"

Sarah, who hadn't realized she had a huge smile, plastered on her face, quirked her brow.

"And what makes you think I'm happy dad?"

"I would like to think I know my own daughter…Plus that bright grin kind of gives it away."

Sarah's hand shot to her face, and she felt that she was indeed smiling. Trying her hardest to frown, Sarah realized it was useless since the corners of her mouth kept snapping upward automatically.

After Emma finished cooking, she placed the rest of the food on the dining table and took a seat to the right of her daughter, and to the left of her husband. She had been listening in on their conversation, and she had an inkling about what exactly was making Sarah so happy.

"Now hush Jack, stop teasing our baby girl. I'm sure she's just excited for her second day of school…" She turned to Sarah with a teasing smile. "…Sweetheart, why don't you invite Chuck to dinner sometime?"

Sarah glared at her mom. She couldn't believe that her sweet…_yeah right_…old mother, sold her out like that.

Mr. Walker bristled at the name. He hoped Chuck was just a nickname for Charlie, and that Charlie was a girl.

Jack knew it was his job's fault, and by default his, for relocating his family so much. And he knew all those moves affected the women in his life, mostly Sarah. Yes, he knew about his daughter's little tendency to shut herself off to everyone but her family. And even though he should be grateful that his daughter had made a friend, she was still his baby girl, and no father felt comfortable with the idea of their teenage daughter with a boy.

"So this Charlie, she a nice girl?"

Sarah's mom giggled and Sarah just shook her head.

"**Chuck**, is a boy…and yes he's very nice…" She turned to her mom. "…Don't get your hopes up. I just met him so it would be really weird asking him over for dinner."

Emma patted her daughter's forearm. "Give it time sweetie, give it time."

Jack had a shocked expression on his face. "Em, don't push the girl! Sarah's decided this boy isn't good enough and we should respect that."

He saw the looks of amusement and exasperation in both his girl's eyes.

"Darlin, I wish you were more like Molly."

"You want me to be 5?" Sarah deadpanned.

Jack shook his head. "No, I want you to not be interested in boys…" He smirked. "…and still asleep."

* * *

**Los Angeles, Burbank**

**Burbank High**

Chuck walked into class and was slightly shocked to see that aside from his English teacher, he was the only one there. His plan consisted of getting to class early, but he didn't think he would be the first one there, although he should have expected this. Amazingly, he woke up way before his alarm was set to go off, which resulted in him leaving for school a bit earlier than usual. To say Ellie was stunned would be a gross understatement.

Mr. Montgomery sensed movement and glanced over by the door. He was surprised to see Chuck standing there. Yes, he was one of his most favorite students, mainly because he was a hard worker and he felt like a bit of a mentor to the young lad, but this seemed a tad early, even for him.

"Hello Charles, here to keep me company?"

He really didn't know what to say so he just nodded.

Mr. Montgomery shook his head in amusement and waved his hand to the empty seats as he got back to finishing his preparations for his lesson plan.

Chuck walked over and sat on one of the chairs in the front row. But after only a minute of quiet contemplation, he got up and sat in the seat behind him. A minute later, he changed seats again. Chuck spent most of last night, and this morning, devising a plan to get Sarah to sit next to him, and all he came up with was putting his backpack in the chair next to him. Suffice it to say, his lack of plan made him nervous. His nerves mixed with the anticipation for the day resulted in him playing musical chairs for the past 5 minutes, much to the slight chagrin of his English teacher.

"Something wrong with the desks Charles?"

He mustered up a nervous smile. "No, just trying to find a good seat…" An idea hit him, and even though any idea was better than his seat saving one, he didn't know where he gathered the courage to say what he said next. "…Um, maybe you should ask the new girl Sarah to sit next to me...I-I can try to make her, uh, tra-transition…yeah, transition, to a new school a little easier."

Mr. Montgomery smiled, now the overly nervous routine made sense. He sighed elatedly as he thought about love. That four letter word was the reason he became an English teacher. On a side note, he really needed to step up his game with one of the schools' History teachers, the lovely Ms. Diane Beckman.

"I'll see what I can do Charles."

10 minutes later students started filtering into the classroom. It was only 7:55am, so there was still some time left before the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

All of a sudden, Chuck felt something deep down in his gut. He didn't really know how to describe it, but the closest thing he could compare it to, were the feelings of butterflies. Chuck looked over to the doorway, and his shoulders slumped when he saw it was only Morgan. Make no mistake, he loved Morgan like a brother, but right now, his best friend was not who he wanted to see walk through that doorway.

With his gaze focused on Morgan, who just crossed the threshold of the classroom, he was taken by surprise at the individual who entered just behind the bearded one.

Mr. Montgomery couldn't focus, which was unusual. Why was he so worked up with Chuck Bartowski having a crush? Yes, he was a great, if not unorthodox, student, and Sarah Walker and Charles Bartowski would make for an adorable couple, but…why else?

Roan had been glancing at the door every time a student entered. When he saw the newest addition to his class, his eyes quickly sought out Chuck's face. The way his face lit up at the sight of Sarah Walker was amazing. Not helping these two would be a crime!

When Sarah started looking around for a seat, Mr. Montgomery spoke up.

"Ms. Walker, why don't you sit next to Charles? If you're still feeling a little nervous since you're new here, I think Mr. Bartowski is the best person to help you get settled in."

Sarah looked over to Chuck seated at the back of the class, and for what seemed like the umpteenth time in the past 24 hours, felt her cheeks rise in temperature.

Chuck could do nothing but cough. _Real subtle Mr. Montgomery!_

Sarah just aimlessly nodded her agreement while she walked over and took the seat next to him. They shyly glanced at each other, and when Chuck decided to bite the bullet, the bell unfortunately rang, signaling the start of class.

Mr. Montgomery sighed. So close.

* * *

Chuck could have kicked himself for losing such an opportunity in talking to Sarah. His teacher, Mr. Montgomery…who was without a doubt his favorite educator now…even helped. All his stressing and planning seemed, all for naught. Thankfully he was able to recover slightly by somehow convincing the lovely Miss Walker in allowing him to walk her to her next class. How he really pulled it off, he didn't know.

While they walked the hallways, neither of them uttering a word, Chuck once again decided to fall on his sword.

"So umm…sorry I couldn't help you get settled in more. We were in class and…yeah." He ran his hand through his unruly curly locks.

Sarah smiled, finding his nervousness adorable. She felt the pang of longing, deep down in her gut, to run her hands all throughout his brown mop. And quite frankly, she found his irresistible silky hair scrumptious. Where the hell did that come from!?

"It's ok Chuck."

Her subconscious snapped at her. _That's all you've got to say!? Way to contribute to the class Walker! _She rolled her eyes at herself. Her subconscious adopted calling her the moniker Carina seemed so oddly fond of.

Chuck frowned. Even though she wasn't giving him much to work with, he wouldn't give up. He was a Bartowski after all.

"Maybe we can hang out at lunch so there'll be plenty of time for us to talk…to get you feeling more comfortable in a new school of course." He smiled shyly at her.

Sarah melted a little. "That sounds nice."

Chuck beamed his Bartowski special. And Sarah thought she melted before?

"That's great! I'll keep an eye out for you."

They arrived in front of Sarah's class, and the awkwardness increased as no one knew what to say or do next. Thankfully the bell rang and forced their hands.

Sarah idly reached for the door behind her. "Well I guess that's my cue…so lunch?"

Chuck nodded. "You look really nice by the way. That top looks really great on you." _Where did that come from?_

Not wanting to give himself a chance to do something stupid, he turned and ran off. In hindsight, he probably looked ridiculous sprinting through the halls after complimenting her. He was slightly worried since there was a good chance he was going to be monumentally late, but it was worth it…_yeah, it was totally worth it!  
_

* * *

It wasn't a **complete** shock when the fiery redhead frequented the table of Chuck and his group of misfits during lunch. Carina didn't eat with them every day, but every now and then she would stop by, especially when she needed her Chuck fix. At the moment however, she was really regretting being around her favorite nerd.

Chuck had his sandwich halfway to his mouth and right when he looked ready to take a bite, his eyes would dart over to the entrance of the cafeteria. Apparently, not finding who he was looking for, he would again attempt to take a bite of his homemade grilled cheese, only to yet again divert his attention to the entryway. It was a vicious cycle that made Carina want to stuff that sandwich down his adorable kisser.

Oh, Miller knew damn well why Chucky was acting so fidgety. In 3rd period Chemistry, Sarah had let slip that Chuckles invited her to have lunch with him in hopes of making her feel more, 'comfortable'. Carina had almost lost it, and she was a hair's width away from giving in to the green eyed monster and attacking the faux brunette…Because let's be honest, Sarah Walker was no natural brunette, and the only one she was fooling was her-self…But thankfully, she had tempered the beast.

Carina made a promise to herself a long time ago that she would try not to screw up Chuck's love life. 'Try' being the operative word. Sure, she would not let anyone screw with her relationship with him, and whoever showed interest in Chuck, she would vet like crazy. But if it was something special, which he deserved, then she would try her hardest to not intervene. Some people might still look down on Carina for not doing better to stop being so meddlesome, but she was only human, and she felt what she felt. Like the saying goes, to err is human.

Stuck in her musings, Chuck startled her by actually biting into his lunch. Carina looked over to the entrance of the cafeteria and rolled her eyes. _Show time!_

Sarah was sickeningly nervous as she stood near the entrance, gazing out over the hundreds of students in hopes of spotting one, Charles Irving Bartowski. She shifted her weight on each foot as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. God, she felt like everyone's eyes were on her, judging her, even though she knew better. The faster she found Chuck, the quicker she would find her solace. Sarah didn't know why, but being anywhere near Charles Bartowski, made her euphoric…aside from feeling safe, tongue tied, embarrassed, and the most important being in the universe, that is.

Her gaze instantly locked onto her favorite mop of hair, and the boy that came with it. Sarah smiled as she could clearly see him stuffing his face with a sandwich. But when Chuck seemed to notice her, and he gave Sarah the biggest grin he could muster with a mouth full of food, she outright giggled. The image of Chuck's cheeks puffed out, filled with his lunch, smiling his damn near hardest was just absolutely precious.

Without being conscious of her actions, her feet started transporting her towards her intended target. When she arrived, Sarah stood there rather awkwardly, just staring into deep bottomless brown orbs. Chuck in turn was staring at deep oceanic ones. Both lost in their own daydreams.

A clearing of the throat snapped Sarah out of her dazed. She took in her surroundings which caused her to blush. From the time she saw Chuck from across the room, till she arrived in the spot she was standing in now, she believed Chuck was alone. How in the hell did she not notice Carina, his furry friend Morgan, and..._A guy with a Jew-fro?_...sitting at the table along with him?

Chuck abruptly dropped his grilled cheese, and stood. He hurriedly walked around the table and pulled out a chair for Sarah to sit in. She wasn't even surprised by the gesture. Sarah just smiled, shook her head, and sat down, all the while thinking of how it was such a Chuck thing to do…even though she'd only known him for less than 48 hours.

Carina's hand tightened around her water bottle. Chucky, ever the gentleman; pulled out chairs for her too. But why didn't he do that for her today? Maybe it had to do with the fact that she didn't wait for him and she just plopped herself down in the seat next to him? _That's no excuse!_

Chuck sat back down and started the introductions.

"Sarah, you already know Carina. I don't know if you remember, but this is Morgan Grimes. And that guy with the awesome fro, is Skip Johnson."

Everyone exchanged greetings except for Johnson, who just smiled and nodded.

Chuck chuckled, "Skips not much of a talker."

As if to prove it, Skip smiled and nodded again.

Morgan piped up next. "Wait till you meet my Anna Banana. She's just a little firecracker."

Carina shook her head. "Morgan, I told you not to be so creepy."

The bearded one frowned and Chuck patted him on the back.

"Don't worry little buddy. Keep trying, Anna can't resist your charms forever…But…maybe give Carina's words some thought."

Chuck looked from Morgan's slumped form, back to their newest guest.

"Now, for the rest of the introductions…" He pointed at a table over Sarah's right shoulder which her eyes promptly followed. "…You've already had the pleasure of meeting the two most well known people in this school, Dick and Heather. As you may have guessed, they are…rough around the edges."

Carina snorted, "Always the polite one. Sarah, those two are assholes, as well as the rest of the people at their table."

Morgan spoke his assessment. "Douchebags"

Skip nodded as per usual. _Jerks!_

Chuck shook his head. Everything his friends said…and most likely thought in Skip's case…was true, but he never really felt all that comfortable badmouthing anyone. I mean he hated Bryce, but he didn't go around voicing his dislike of the king of all douches to everybody who would listen...just to Morgan and Carina. Big difference!

The redhead decided to get in on the tour and preceded to point over Sarah's left shoulder.

"Now those people over there are my people…popular but nice, with only the slightest essence of cocky jerks." Miller had a huge smile going.

Chuck snorted in disbelief as he gave Carina a pointed look. He agreed with her for the most part, since everyone was fairly decent in Carina's clique. It was just that one person who he despised. Certain individuals in that inner-circle like Hannah and Jill, were friendly…In fact, it might have just been his imagination, but Jill seemed a lot more friendlier than the others, but then again, Chuck always seemed to see things that weren't actually there…Even Cole Barker, who was the most egotistical being on the planet, was an alright dude. So one stands to wonder what the douche king was doing in that group.

Chuck had asked Carina once why she still hung out with Bryce. The answer she gave was a pretty straight forward one in that because Larkin was so well liked by basically the entire school…mainly because of his charm…she would be seeing Bryce everywhere. Especially since her friends were his as well, except Chuck and Morgan of course. It would just make everything simpler if she let go of all the emotions surrounding what took place between her and Bryce, and she did. And even though she didn't like him and would never trust him again, she never went out of her way to be spiteful towards him.

Chuck didn't know why he still hated Bryce when a) Carina had made peace with it awhile back, and b) it didn't even happen to him. Maybe he was still upset because Carina was family, and he felt protective of her, maybe it was because Larkin never apologized for what he did, or maybe it was because Bryce was just a pretty boy prick with no regard to who he hurts. Who really knows?

Morgan saw the confusion in Sarah's appearance while she looked upon the agitated expression on his best bud's face. He decided to help explain everything.

"One guy from that group you should definitely stay away from is Bryce Larkin. He's the one with classically handsome good looks, and he's basically Chuck's arch-nemesis…his Fett if you will."

Walker's head was spinning in confusion. Was Chuck upset because of this Bryce guy? Did sweet old Chuck actually not like someone? And what the hell is a Fett!?

"Uhhh…" Sarah honestly didn't know what to say.

Chuck took a breath and shook his head.

"Ignore the bearded one. You can be friends with anyone you like…but honestly, you don't need friends like Bryce Larkin."

Sarah nervously tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"So…what happened? Did you guys have a falling out or something?"

His eyes unconsciously darted to Carina, which Sarah caught.

Miller decided to preempt Chucky's response.

"Let's move on from Bryce shall we…But do be careful when dealing with him Walker."

All Sarah could do was nod.

Just then, a short, gothic, Asian female dropped down in the seat next to her.

"Argh! Why can't this day be over?"

Morgan sat up at attention, worried that something might be wrong with Anna.

"Anna Banana, what's wro…"

She cut him off before he could finish.

"Not now Morgan, I just had a run-in with the Greta's, so I don't feel like dealing with you today."

The 'Greta's', or the 'Greta twins', were both gorgeous but looked nothing alike. One was a long leggy blonde, while the other was a shorter graceful brunette. They weren't even related for goodness sakes. The fact that they were always seen together, and seemed to have the same thoughts and speech patterns, got them their nickname. Oh, and the fact that they were both named Greta and all.

Carina frowned. Sure, Grimes was annoying more than half of the time, but he was just trying to be a good boyfriend…friend? Whatever their relationship was, Morgan was just trying to help. An idea brilliantly came to mind. One she knew would work.

"Hey Morgan, we're still on for that movie this weekend right?"

Grimes did a double take. Chuck and Sarah both chuckled since they knew exactly what was happening. In fact, the only ones who were confused, and quite frankly slightly suspicious, were Morgan and Anna.

Anna Wu didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it.

"I don't think so red. Morgan and I are spending the weekend together."

Morgan could only splutter, "We-we are?"

Anna just nodded her head in annoyance.

Chuck took this brief moment of silence to introduce Sarah to her seat mate.

"Sarah, Anna…Anna, Sarah" he waved between the two.

Ms. Wu turned with a smile, nodded her head, and placed her attention back on her lunch.

Sarah knew she was a loner, and figured she was a little weird herself, but as she looked around at all the occupants at the table she was currently seated at, even she couldn't help but think how different everybody was.

She looked at Chuck and he gave Sarah one of his special smiles. Different was definitely looking mighty fine!

* * *

**A/N (2): If anyone wants to know, Quotes from the show + My twist of them = Title for each chapter. I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out of quotes to use that at least somewhat relate to each passage I write, but until then, I hope you enjoy the title and their underlying tones.**

**My sincerest apologies for taking so long to update. Hope it's worth the wait?**

**Any and all reviews are much appreciated.**


	3. Sexy situations, A kiss of death?

**A/N: So I have to say, I was a little discouraged…not disappointed…at the drop off of reviews for the previous chapter. I don't know if it was because chapter 2 wasn't good, or because people have lost interest in sticking with this story, or what. Hopefully that's not the case, but if it is, I guess I need to do some things differently…What that is besides writing better, I don't really know. I do want to thank the people who did review however, it's very much appreciated. **

**I don't need a bunch of reviews. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing my inbox full, but it's not about that. Ok, it's a bit about that lol. But how else am I going to know if I'm doing a good enough job? I'm writing this story for the Chuckverse, as well as myself, so my goal is for all of you to enjoy this.**

**Additional thanks to my beta uplink2.**

**I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here. **

**Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot. Oh yeah, if some of the references don't coincide with the year, ie. I refer to something that hasn't even been created yet, I do apologize.**

…

**Chapter 3  
**

**October 1998**

**Los Angeles, Burbank**

**Orange, Orange**

Carina swallowed her spoonful of coconut yogurt and glanced at the girl sitting across from her. Her time acting as Burbank's unofficial tour guide was a lot more fun then she anticipated, and she was actually having a good time with Walker. Carina was genuine when she asked the new girl to hangout for the weekend…whether her intentions were pure or not…but Miller really didn't know if she would have accepted or not.

"So Sarah, let's talk about you and Chuck."

Sarah's heart rate increased, and although deep down she knew why that particular organ reacted like it did, she didn't want to admit it to herself. I mean could that really be the case in such a short amount of time?

Thankfully, a group of people interrupted before she could offer up some sort of explanation…excuse…lie?

"Carina, it's surprising to see you anywhere, let alone here, without you wrapped around Chuck." Jill said this with a smile, but there was the slightest hint of bitterness that Ms. Roberts couldn't hide.

The redhead smiled. "Don't worry Jill. I'm actually going to see him tonight when I have dinner with him and his sister. I'll tell him you said hi."

It was taking all her might to keep the smile plastered on her face. Because all Jill wanted to do was smack Miller.

Carina turned to Sarah. "Sarah, this is Jill Roberts…And she likes Chuck."

Jill at least had the decency to look affronted, although she wasn't fooling anyone. With the way she acted whenever Chuck was around, everyone…except for Charles, God bless him…knew how she felt.

"I don't _like_ him!"

Carina rolled her eyes as Hannah giggled, and the pair of boys behind them just scoffed.

Sarah sat there sizing up the brunette, just a tad annoyed. She just kept thinking how Chuck could do so much better.

Walker was broken out of her musings when the hand of the girl next to Jill, shot out to her.

"I'm Hannah Tremblay."

Sarah took the outstretched hand and gently shook it. "Sarah Walker…You like Chuck too?" She meant it as an offhanded comment, but then she noticed Hannah's flawless skin turn a rosy pink. Sarah inwardly groaned, and what meant to be inner reflection, was accidently said aloud.

"Why does everybody like Chuck!?"

Just then, a classically handsome guy pushed his way into the conversation. He looked at Sarah, but quickly moved on. Sarah could tell that this guy was looking right through her. She was use to it by now. So many guys had dismissed her as nothing just because she didn't look like a Barbie doll.

"That's what I keep wondering. Why do so many people like him? He's just some…"

Carina slammed her fist down on the table before Bryce could finish his thought, making the yogurt cups on the table jump.

"What were you gonna say Larkin?" The redhead's eyes burned the color of her hair as she practically growled her question.

Sarah was starting to see why Chuck disliked the guy.

Cole Barker, who was honestly enjoying the show, decided to get in between Miller and Larkin just to make sure there was no bloodshed.

"Relax Carina. We all know how you get when it comes to the nerd. No need to rip Bryce's head off."

Sarah was confused, and that feeling overrode her usual shyness. "If you know that Carina is protective of Chuck, then how can you call him a nerd and still be standing within her swing radius?"

Cole chuckled and winked at Sarah. "I like Charles. And besides, everybody knows he thrives on being a nerd."

Sarah blushed; half because Cole winked at her, and half because she didn't know that about Chuck.

After a few more minutes of small talk; Cole, Hannah, Jill, and Bryce headed out. Out of those four; two left happy, one was frustrated and annoyed, and the other frightened and a bit bitter.

Once their visitors were outside the yogurt shop, Sarah chuckled. "I can see why Chuck doesn't like that Bryce guy. I wonder what their history is."

Carina shook her head and smiled. "It would make a lot more sense if something actually happened between them wouldn't it?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Walker's face, Carina sighed.

"This isn't about them two. As far as I know, nothing ever happened between them. This is actually about Bryce and me…" She took a deep breath. "…You see, during my freshman and sophomore years, I was in a relationship with Bryce. One day, he up and decides to start telling anybody who would listen, that we had sex. Word spread and…you know the saying about sticks and stones?"

Sarah nodded.

"It's a bunch of bullshit, words hurt like hell. All the gossip was getting to me so I adapted. Of course I dumped Larkin. And after that, I met Burbank's own lovable nerd. He was simply…He never acted differently towards me because of all the rumors. Chuck treated me based on who I am instead of what he heard. Hell, he always tells me that he'll never believe anything bad about me unless I confirm it…" Carina chuckled. "…How's that for faith in a person?"

Without her mind processing it, Sarah whispered out, "Chuck's wonderful." Her eyes then grew wide because if that smirk on Carina's face meant anything, she damn well heard it.

Miller was doing everything in her power not to jump at what she just heard. She wanted to tease Sarah for all her worth. Surprisingly, Carina didn't feel jealous at all…kind of. But even though she took great pleasure in watching Walker squirm, for some reason, she decided to have mercy on the poor girl.

"I guess that's why I care about him so much and am so protective of him. He cares about people, more than himself. I think the fact that he's willing to hate someone…which is so un-Chuck like by the way…because that person did someone else wrong instead of himself, proves that."

Sarah nodded her head and took a spoonful of her mango yogurt in her mouth, as she contemplated all that was revealed.

Carina mistook Sarah's silence and prompted what she thought was on the 'brunette's' mind.

"Go ahead and ask."

Sarah opened her mouth to voice her puzzlement, but Carina cut her off.

"I didn't sleep with Bryce ok. I don't understand why people ask when they don't believe that I'm telling the truth!"

With the upmost sincerity, Sarah replied, "I believe you."

Carina was skeptical. "Really, just like that?"

Sarah just nodded, nonplussed. "Simple enough, yeah"

Miller nodded in appreciation as the two sat in comfortable silence, enjoying their frozen treats. Carina was the first to break the serenity.

"You should come with me tonight to Chuck's place for dinner with his sister, Ellie. Usually he does the cooking, but on the occasion that Ellie does, like tonight, let me tell you, she's a better cook then my mom…And my mom can sure cook."

"His parents don't cook?"

Carina knew it was probably for the best to keep things simple and vague. It wasn't her place to explain what happened.

"Chuck and his sister live in their own place."

Sarah nodded. She wanted to ask why the Bartowski siblings live on their own, but she decided now was not the time. "You go ahead. I don't think I know Chuck well enough to be invited over for dinner."

Carina let it die. She really did like Walker, but there was no way she was going to beg her to come along.

"Suit yourself."

Sarah sat there wondering if she had just wasted a golden opportunity to get to know one Charles Bartowski better.

* * *

**Los Angeles, Echo Park**

**Casa Bartowski**

Carina had to time this perfectly. If she missed her window, then the rest of her night would surely be ruined. _There, there it is!_

"So Chuck, I was hanging out with Sarah earlier today…Seems like all we talked about was you."

Chuck did a spit-take with a mouthful of food as he built up a coughing fit.

"M-me?"

Carina and Ellie started laughing at his reaction, but then suddenly, something clicked into place for Eleanor. She squealed before becoming serious.

"So who's this Sarah, and why haven't either of you told me about her?" Ellie cast an accusatory glance at both her little brother and the redhead who she considered a little sister.

Carina glanced down at her food guiltily. She was an only child, and although she loved her parents dearly, she always considered the elder Bartowski the sister she always wanted. The Millers and the Bartowskis had definitely spent enough time together to be considered one big extended family. And although she knew she didn't have to feel guilty since there was nothing significant to report, Carina knew it was just a matter of time for Sarah and Chuck to develop…something at the very least. You didn't have to be a genius to figure that out, but then again, Carina was a genius if you asked her.

Ellie saw the downcast look on Carina's face and decided to let the whole subject about this Sarah person slide. She would find some answers later on though.

After diner was completed, and all the dishes washed up, Ellie pulled Carina into the kitchen while Chuck was tasked with picking a movie for movie night.

"Alright Carina, what's the deal with this girl you mentioned?"

Carina knew this interrogation was coming sooner or later. She had taken the rest of dinner to prepare herself for the inquiry. She knew Ellie well, so she knew the questions would be flying at her as soon as possible.

"Her name is Sarah Walker, and she's the new girl in school. Chucky and Walker haven't even spent more than 24 hours together, and the chemistry between the two is palpable. Just imagine them actually getting to know one another. That would be downright scary!"

Ellie was shocked. "Is it that serious?"

"Well, I mean like I said, Chuck and Sarah haven't even really spent much time together. They have a couple of the same classes, and we all had lunch together, but other than that, they're practically strangers. But I was there the first time they introduced themselves to one another. I didn't even have to hide to watch them, they couldn't take their eyes off one another long enough to notice anyone around them…So yeah, with time, and if they don't get in their own way, which I'm not totally convinced they won't, it could be very serious."

The elder Bartowski chuckled. "I can definitely see Chuck screwing up, but what about Sarah? Tell me more about her."

"Walker's hard to pinpoint. I have no proof, but I'm certain there's more than meets the eye when it comes to her. On the surface, she's not the prettiest, and she's very shy and looks to have multiple insecurities. But I feel like she's choosing to be this way, choosing to stay within herself. Maybe she's afraid to put herself out there…I don't know, I could just be way off on everything here."

Ellie looked at Carina closely. Essentially, the redhead was basically admitting that this new girl and Chuck were bound to end up being very close. Was her little sis actually OK with that?

"With all that you know Carina, are you fine with everything?"

Carina mulled the question over for a bit.

Ellie had known for awhile now the extent of Carina's feelings for Chuck. The redhead had confided in Eleanor one night in hopes to have the elder sister's support and advice, which Miller got wholeheartedly. Ellie loved the prospect of Carina and Chuck dating, and she did everything she could to push them together. But try as she might, a romantic relationship never came to fruition; whether it was because of Chuck not feeling the same, Chuck being too dense to figure it out, or Carina's reluctance to spell it out to the nerd.

Ellie knew that Carina still loved Chuck, but whether those deep romantic types of feelings were still there, was the question. Sure, Carina had stated that she had accepted that there was a good chance that Chuck and herself weren't meant to be, but that didn't mean that those feelings just up and disappeared.

Carina nodded tentatively. "I guess I have to be…Look, a part of me will always love Chuck as more than a best friend, of that I'm sure. But just wait until you see Sarah and Chuck together. He looks at her like he never did with me. I know we make fun of him for being so dense, but maybe deep down, he just knows when it's right…or when it's not. The best I can do is move on. Of course I'll still be doing everything in my power to protect him, but in the future, if I'm still as close, if not more, with Chuck…and you, then I'll be pretty damn happy."

Ellie enveloped Carina in one of her famous Ellie hugs.

"Oh little sis, you'll always be a part of this family. Don't you ever forget that! One day, you'll find the one, and you too will know when it's right."

Carina returned the hug in spades as a rare tear ran down her freckled skin.

"I hope…You don't have another brother by chance do you Ellie?"

The two girls laughed, and when Ellie was about to suggest that they head into the living room before her little brother whined about what was taking them both so long, Chuck's voice called out.

"Come on guys, I picked a movie ages ago!"

The ladies shared another laugh before joining Chuck in the other room.

Carina walked passed Chuck on the couch, only to swat him upside the head. She then sat down next to him and cuddled herself into his body. Hey, it wasn't like Chuck and Sarah were together yet. She might as well get all the Chuck 'lovin', she could get while she still had the time.

Chuck was used to this, having spent so much time with the redhead, so he thought nothing of it.

Ellie plopped herself on the recliner next to the couch, and shook her head in amusement at her little sis's theatrics.

"So Chuck, what movie are we watching tonight?"

Carina tilted her head up. "I swear Chuck, if it's Star Wars again, I'm going home."

He scoffed. "We only watched the trilogy twice, geez…Besides I promised we would take a break from those awesome movies. No, what we're watching tonight is…Spaceballs!"

Carina and Ellie looked at him like he was insane.

Chuck just shook his head, picked up the remote and pressed play. _May the Schwartz be with me.  
_

* * *

**October 1998**

**Los Angeles**

**Roadside Café**

"Roan, we agreed that we wouldn't talk shop."

"But Diane my sweet, as educators, it is our mission to, well, educate…and we also agreed on a date." Mr. Montgomery mumbled the last part, half hoping his companion for the evening would not overhear…She did.

Beckman glared at the dashingly dressed man across from her.

"This is a date Roan. I know this isn't your scene, but I particularly love this place, and I wanted to share this with you." Her face softened a bit revealing a tad bit of insecurity before her expression became stoic once more.

The silver haired man smiled softly as he grasped Beckman's hand and brought it up to his lips for a gentle kiss. He still thought this type of venue was highly inappropriate for any type of romantic setting, I mean there were several neon signs around the place for goodness sakes! Still, he felt touched that the usually resilient History teacher would let him in on something so obviously personal. At least the place had a bar where he could order several martinis.

"I'm honored to be sharing this with you."

Diane smiled and took a sip of her beer. "Now, what exactly did you have planned?"

"I was thinking of a project of some sort. Of course I would have to assign partners myself or Mr. Grimes would ruin everything."

Beckman made a sour face. "Yes, that Grimes fellow is rather annoying."

Roan chuckled as he flagged down their waitress. He ordered another drink which by now, the waitress knew by heart; Ice cold dirty martini, three olives. How he could be ordering his fifth one of the night in the company of what seemed to be a date, she had no clue.

With drink now in hand…held by the stem of the glass of course…he withdrew the olives, and slowly tilted it back, drinking it all in one big gulp, before he started in on the little green fruit. With the elixir now warming his body, a genius idea suddenly struck him.

"Romeo and Juliet!"

Diane was startled. "What?"

Mr. Montgomery called for another drink as the waitress sighed and went off towards the bar. He turned to face his date to explain his brilliance.

"I'll have the students act out scenes from Romeo and Juliet. And I may suggest to Charles that it would be in his best interest to recreate Act 5, Scene 3; the famous kiss scene, with the young Ms. Walker."

Diane felt a little uneasy. A part of her loved the deviousness of it all, but at the same time, another part felt like teachers shouldn't be too involved with their students' lives. Beckman also wasn't a big fan of student relations.

"I don't know Roan, you may be overstepping. Besides, how will you be able to justify having the students act out these scenes? Last I checked you weren't the drama teacher."

"Ah my dear, that may be so, but Shakespeare's work is very important in relation to English. His idioms after all are referred to as the language of love. And if it's two things I know, it's the potency of words…and love."

Roan didn't break eye contact the whole time he spoke, which cause Diane to slightly flush. The English teacher smiled at the apparent affect he had on the generally unflappable History teacher.

"Besides, I'm not going to force Chuck and Sarah to kiss. I'll tell them if it makes them feel uncomfortable, their lips don't have to have any contact. What they decide to do when the time comes will be up to them."

Beckman was curious about something. "Tell me Roan, why are you so insistent on bringing those two together?"

He merely shrugged. "I'm quite fond of the boy. He's a good kid despite his upbringing."

Diane nodded in agreement. She had also heard about Bartowski's parents abandoning him, leaving him and his sister Eleanor to fend for themselves. Diane had met Eleanor only a handful of times, but she respected and admired the young woman.

"Yes, I know about Bartowski's past. That Eleanor has done a fine job in raising him."

"You know Diane, maybe you could…"

Beckman knew what her date was about to ask, and she promptly cut him off. "Now Roan, I will support your little mission in playing cupid for these two…but I will not let it affect the way I teach my students."

Roan smiled. He knew the answer before he asked the question, but he had to try. It was alright, his plan should work just fine.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze as he looked into her eyes with softness and a smidgen of love. "Your support is all I need Diane."

These two have been doing their little dance for years. And even though this was only the 3rd date, their feelings for one another were plain to see.

Diane melted a little at Roan's proclamation. She couldn't help what she breathed out of her mouth next.

"Oh Roan"

* * *

**A/N (2): Just wanted to do an additional shout out to bigfan22. You guys/gals should check out his story Tides of War. **

**Any and all reviews are much appreciated.**


	4. Tall dark & caring Ya thats about right

**A/N: Not much to say except to thank all of you who have continued to show me support on this project. I apologize for the long wait between updates. Hopefully this chapter will be good enough to act as some sort of reward for your patience…doubtful though.**

**Additional thanks to my beta uplink2.**

**I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here. **

**Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot. Oh yeah, if some of the references don't coincide with the year, ie. I refer to something that hasn't even been created yet, I do apologize.**

…

**Chapter 4  
**

**October 1998**

**Los Angeles, Burbank**

**Burbank High**

"Class, I know this wasn't on the syllabus, but I've decided to add a little project..." Roan smirked at all the horrified faces surely caused by his little announcement. "…You guys will be working in teams, and each group will have to reenact a scene from William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. Depending on the scene I assigned you, you could be working with as many as 5 other students or as few as 1 other person…Now, I have a list here…"

Morgan unintentionally interrupted his teacher with an unusual excitement related to this surprise assignment. He turned to Chuck who, quite frankly, looked a little stiff, and so did Sarah who sat in the desk next to his best bud for that matter.

"Chuck this is great, we should act out a fight scene! And I promise I won't make you do all the work like in the past."

Mr. Montgomery cleared his throat rather loudly. "Mr. Grimes, if you had been paying attention, you would have heard me say that I assigned the scenes you will act out. I have more information on this project so if you'll please allow me to finish?"

Morgan shrank in his chair a little bit.

"As I was saying, I have a list here that will show what group you're in, with whom you will be working with, and what scene you will be acting out. I will post this sheet on the door 10 minutes before class lets out so you will all be able to gather with the people you're going to be working with and start discussions on this project. Also, along with acting out the scene, each group will be responsible for writing one paper that's at least 5 pages in length about; what you think Shakespeare's words actually mean in the scene assigned to you, how you and your partners truly feel about the scene, and actually relating the scene to a present day example."

Montgomery started to see the panic set in, so he continued in hopes to quell everyone's fear.

"Everybody relax, you'll all have ample time to memorize lines and work on the paper…But I caution anyone who isn't planning on taking this seriously. This project will count for 50% of your grade. So if you think just because your seniors and you'll be graduating soon, that you can opt out of this assignment, ask yourselves…Are you really willing to fail this class and threaten your chances of getting into the college of your choosing?"

Roan smirked. He knew what he said was a bit cruel, but thinking about it last night, even though this project started off as a way to help Charles and Sarah, this assignment was actually very connected to the course curriculum and what he wanted his students to learn. It really turned out to be a win/win.

The class ran its course, and just like Mr. Montgomery promised, 10 minutes before the end, he posted the white sheet. Once the English teacher sat back down; all his students flocked to the door where the list was hanging. As expected, there were reactions ranging from cheers too boos. With the students now dispersing and gathering in their predetermined groups, only three students remained by the door.

Chuck and Sarah were glued to the floor, looking a bit green. Morgan stood behind the two statues with a mixed bag of emotions. The bearded one was actually content with his group and scene; even if he was a little down since he couldn't work with his best friend. However, the feelings at the most forefront, was a mixture of amusement and curiosity. Out of everyone in the class, how in the hell did Chuck and Sarah get chosen to act out the kiss scene between Romeo & Juliet?

Grimes shrugged, patted his pal on the back and left to join his team. Chuck was going to kiss the girl he 'didn't like', why in the hell was he looking so pale?

Chuck snapped back to reality after the hit, and shakily turned to Sarah who did the same. Unfortunately, he couldn't look her in the eye as he ran his hand through his hair thinking of something to say, an obvious nervous tick. Sarah could see Chuck struggling to find something to say as he played with his hair, and all that made her want to do was stroke it too. It's not like she really knew what to say anyways; she was just as freaked out as him…if not more.

Luckily, Mr. Montgomery saw this, and decided to help his two students. "Is there a problem Charles, Sarah?"

Chuck was freaking out a bit, but maybe his teacher could help. "Well you see…uhh…" That is if he could actually voice his concern.

Sarah tried, but did no better. "What Chuck's trying to say is…well…"

Roan chuckled. "I'm not going to force you two to kiss if that's what you're worried about. I just want you guys to do the best you can, and whatever happens, happens."

Both Chuck and Sarah sighed in relief, which they both caught. They didn't understand why a brief felling of hurt passed through them when they saw the other's reaction.

Roan shook his head as he saw the downtrodden expressions on their faces. It was plain as day that his two students liked each other, but the chances of them figuring it out he knew were pretty slim. He turned and walked back to his desk as he said over his shoulder, "Better get started Mr. Bartowski, Ms. Walker."

_I should be the professor of love.  
_

* * *

Before their English class let out; Chuck and Sarah did shake themselves out of their collective stupors long enough to talk about the project. Although, it was just a strictly professional…I mean technical discussion. Neither brought up the kiss, instead, both focused on every other detail they needed to nail down.

This was going to work. I mean, Mr. Montgomery did say they didn't have to actually kiss. Chuck and Sarah were freaking out for no good reason. That still didn't stop the images of kissing one another, from floating through their minds.

Thankfully class ended and they were given a much needed reprieve. Unfortunately, that lasted only until lunch rolled around. Sarah could have sat somewhere else, but honestly, she didn't really have any other friends, and she really enjoyed having lunch with Chuck and his merry band of outcasts…Mostly Chuck though. Too bad Carina was sitting with her other friends today; she could have helped with all the tension floating around. Then again, who knew how the red head would react if she found out about the project.

Chuck was definitely not going to send Sarah away. He enjoyed having lunch with her as much as she did with him. Everything would have turned out swimmingly and awkward free too if it wasn't for Morgan. Of course the bearded one had to bring up the kiss, and the fact that they were lucky enough to kiss each other instead of someone they didn't 'like'. Naturally Grimes put a heavy dose of emphasis on the word like. He wouldn't be Morgan if he actually knew what the word discretion meant.

Bartowski's elbow into his little buddies' side pleasantly put an end to his ribbing, but the damage had already been done. Chuck and Sarah could have sworn they never blushed so much in their entire lives.

* * *

Lunch turned out to be a pleasant affair, even with Morgan and his big shaggy mouth. By the end of their meal, they were even talking about the unexpected English project. Most of the conversation revolved around Morgan getting a fight scene like he wanted, and how the bearded one wanted to use a lightsaber as a prop, but still…

While Chuck and Sarah walked to their 5th period History class after lunch, they both rationalized that they were acting crazy for no reason. It wasn't like the other person actually wanted to perform the kiss.

_Does he? _

_Does she?_

When they entered the classroom, both were a bit thankful that their seats were arranged by alphabetical order. The pair didn't want to be completely separated, they liked being around each other for some odd reason, but a little distance to think about the current situation was nice.

In the front of the classroom, Ms. Beckman cleared her throat. "Class, don't ask me why, but I've decided to switch up the seating arrangement. Instead of it being ordered alphabetically, you'll all have a choice of where you want to sit. But make sure the seat you choose is the one you want because I won't be letting you change it again…I'll be gone for a few minutes, but you all have better be in the seat you want by the time I get back."

Diane exited her classroom feeling a bit lightheaded. She couldn't believe she actually did that! Diane Beckman actually changed one of her rules in order to help the love life of two of her students. Well more precisely, to help out Roan, even though Chuck and Sarah did look cute together, theoretically. _DAMN THAT MAN! _She needed to go find him and give that silver fox a piece of her mind…And just so she could see him again. Beckman snorted, she was acting like a damn lovesick fool!

Back in the classroom, students were scrambling for the seats they wanted. Chuck and Sarah seemed like the only ones who were dragging their feet. They both wanted to sit next to each other, but at the same time, didn't they just felt like they needed some space? It was this stupid Romeo & Juliet thing that had them acting so weird.

Chuck decided to man-up and go for what he wanted. He walked to the vacant seats near the back of the class that were right down the middle aisles, and he plopped his backpack down. Chuck then proceeded to wave Sarah over.

Sarah visibly sighed. Even though there was some awkwardness surrounding them, she still wanted to sit next to him. Thankfully, Chuck had invited her over before she forced herself to do the same.

Chuck replaced the position held previously by his backpack, and when Sarah sat in the desk next to him, they smiled genuinely at one another, and it just seemed like their problems just melted away. They were startled out of their smiling contest when somebody dropped themselves into the seat on the other side of Chuck. To Sarah's displeasure, it was Jill.

Jill smiled brightly at Chuck once he turned around. "Strange that Beckman all of sudden let us swap seats right? But how great is this?! I've always thought Roberts and Bartowski were too far apart." She smiled sweetly.

Chuck chuckled nervously. Sarah on the other hand turned her head away so they wouldn't be able to see her roll her eyes. Walker wanted to gag at Jill's attempt at flirting with Chuck…I mean if she said that to Chuck it would have been cute, but Jill saying it just seemed too plastic. Sarah whipped her head back around when she heard Jill talking again.

"So Chuck, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school today. Maybe stop by the Double O for some yogurt and catch a movie afterwards?"

Chuck opened his mouth to respond, but Sarah cut him off. "Actually, Chuck I know it's pretty early, but I thought we should get started on our project for English class. Maybe I can come by your place, and once we finish up some of our homework from our other classes, we could get started on rehearsing."

She could feel Jill staring daggers at her, but Sarah firmly held Chuck's gaze just so she wouldn't have to look at the lovely, and oh so angry, Ms. Roberts…It wasn't that difficult since his eyes were so big, brown, and warm…Sarah couldn't believe she just did that, where the hell did that come from? _About time you asked him out Walker…It's not a date, we're just working on our project! ...Yeah, in his home, near his bed!_ Sarah hated her subconscious mind sometimes, and she really couldn't believe she was fighting with herself…actually, ever since she met Chuck, it had kind of become the norm.

Chuck smiled, practically forgetting about the other brunette seated next to him. "Uh yeah, that sounds like a great idea." He was trying super hard to conceal both the excitement, and the nervousness, he was feeling.

Hearing the nerd's answer, Jill huffed…rather loudly…and crossed her arms over her chest. I mean, how dare this new-girl horn in on Bartowski. She had been working Chuck for awhile now, and Sarah Walker just waltzes in and ruins everything! _She's not even half as pretty as me. This isn't over!_

Chuck cringed once he heard Jill. He quickly turned towards the girl he spurned to apologize. She was always so nice to him, and here he was, acting like a complete jerk.

"I'm really sorry Jill, but Sarah and I genuinely need to spend all the time we can working on this English project. It's like worth 50% of our final grade…Maybe we can catch that movie you want to watch another time?"

Jill instantly brightened. "That would be great Chuck! And no need to apologize, I get that school work is important, I don't blame **you**…" She sure put an awful lot of emphasis on that last word. "I'll just give you a call and we can set something up?"

Ms. Beckman walked in so Chuck just nodded and started rifling through his backpack to pull out the materials he needed. He didn't particularly feel like answering Jill's question verbally and risk being yelled at by Beckman. His history teacher scared the crap out of him.

Since Chuck basically had his head in his bag, Jill looked over to Walker and smirked. Sarah didn't really know any better, but she thought the smile Roberts was giving her looked unmistakably evil.

* * *

**Los Angeles, Echo Park**

**Casa Bartowski**

Chuck had been frantically flying throughout his apartment ever since he got home a couple of hours earlier. Sarah was coming over, and he really needed to fix the place up. As he wiped down the same spot he had cleaned only several minutes before, he wondered why the place was such a pigsty!?In reality, the apartment never looked more spotless.

Ellie was always a stickler for cleanliness, and Chuck always did his best to pick up after himself in order to give his sister less to worry about. Add that to the fact that Chuck had been cleaning spots where his frantic mind fabricated messes, and the place practically shone. Obviously he was a tad nervous. Heck, Chuck even considered cooking a completely new meal from scratch. Forget the fact that the fridge was filled with Ellie's delicious pot the end, he just decided that he would order take out if Sarah didn't like the roast…But he figured she would since even vegans would eat anything Ellie cooked.

He needed to calm down before he started hyperventilating. Chuck walked over to the couch in the living room and plopped himself down. He took a few deep cleansing breaths as he repeated to himself that everything would turn out fine…_But what if it didn't? What if she took one look around the place and decided that she didn't want to be friends with me anymore? Our relationship just started, why does it have to end so soon?!_

And thus began full on freak out mode. Thankfully the doorbell stopped his corybantic mind, but at the same time, it caused Chuck to leap a couple inches off of the couch. Ignoring his race horse of a heart, he walked over to the door and looked through the spyhole. Chuck was surprised to see not only Sarah, but a lovely older woman who he guessed was probably Sarah's mom with the similarities they shared. He looked over the apartment one last time and opened the door.

He tempered his nerves from spilling over and barreled forward. "Sarah it's great that you could come over…And you must be Mrs. Walker, it's great to meet you." Chuck stuck out his hand, which Emma shook, and gave one of his famous smiles.

Emma instantly knew she liked this young man. The whole ride over, she was teasing her daughter about how 'cute' Sarah really thought Chuck was. Emma knew it was just awful of her, especially since Sarah only admitted Chuck was cute that one time in the kitchen, but her daughter's reactions were too adorable to pass up. She had to admit though that this Chuck Bartowski was mighty handsome…in a quirky kind of way. He was certainly no Jack Walker, but she figured Chuck just wasn't the bad-boy type. That thought made her quite relieved.

Chuck was giving the two ladies his Bartowski special, when a tiny movement captured his attention. He glanced down to see a little girl gripping Sarah's left leg while she tried to hide behind it as well.

_Sister? _Chuck crouched down so that he was eye level. "And who is this beautiful young lady?"

Molly beamed at the compliment of both being called beautiful, and a young lady. When Chuck reached out for a handshake however, she hid behind her big sister's leg once more.

Sarah ruffled the girl's hair. "This is Molly. Molly, say hi to Chuck."

The blonde haired child waved shyly. She remembered her mom and Sarah talking about a guy named Chuck on the car ride over, she figured this must've been him. Still, she wasn't completely sold on him.

Chuck nodded like he approved. "Very good Molly, you shouldn't talk to strangers. But you know, your sister and I are friends, and if your mom says it's ok, I would like us to be friends too."

The 5 year old looked up at her mom, who smiled and nodded. When Chuck raised his fist, Molly gleefully performed a fist bump.

Chuck chuckled. "So tell me the truth Molly, who's older, you or Sarah?"

Molly giggled, "You're weird."

Chuck dramatically clutched at his heart. "Weird looking maybe…"

The little girl's forehead scrunched up as she thought of something. "Nu-uh, momma and Sarah kept calling you cute in the car."

Emma and Sarah were smiling at the scene before them. To be honest, the two of them were a little heart warmed with how Chuck was trying to be friends with Molly. But the moment the 5 year old outed them, both their smiles were replaced with their family inherited 'O' face.

Mrs. Walker quickly snatched up her youngest daughter and started backing away slowly. Now she felt doubly bad for teasing her eldest child. "Well we should be going now."

Chuck shook himself out of his stupor and remembered his manors. He was sure he heard Molly correctly, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't want to embarrass anyone…especially himself.

"You guys can stay if you'd like. Could I interest you with something to eat or drink? Or maybe Molly can do me the honor of beating me at some video games?"

The little blonde girl started vibrating in her mother's arms. "Please, please, please…Can we Mommy?"

Emma shook her head. "I'm sorry sweetheart but Chuck and Sarah need to do their homework…Thanks for the offer Chuck, but maybe next time."

Chuck nodded. He saw the downcast look on the 5 year old, so he held out his fist to her. "Anytime Mrs. Walker, don't worry Molly, we'll play next time, promise." It did the trick because the little girl squealed...rather Ellie like…and punched Chuck's fist. _OW!_

Emma turned to her eldest daughter. "Call if you need to be picked up, and call if you're planning on staying late." She got the obligatory 'Yes Mom" and left with her little bundle of energy still griped in her arms, leaving Chuck and Sarah alone in the courtyard.

After waving to Mrs. Walker and Molly till they were out of sight, Chuck turned. His heart fluttered at the sight of Sarah looking down at the ground as she toed something with her foot, hands clasped in front of her.

"Umm, should we go inside?"

Sarah nodded and followed Chuck into the apartment. Once inside, Sarah took a seat at the dining room table which was offered to her while Chuck went to the kitchen to retrieve a couple of drinks for Sarah and himself.

It started off rather rocky, but a couple handful of minutes into their homework session, they both started feeling more at ease. Sarah didn't really know what to say at times, but thankfully Chuck filled the silence throughout the night with rather awkward jokes…which amazingly made Sarah laugh…and talking about anything that popped into his head. Walker wasn't much of a conversationalist, but she felt so relaxed and safe around Chuck, that she found herself talking just as much as he was.

In the span of only a few hours, Sarah found herself time and again pleasantly surprised by one Charles Irving Bartowski. She could safely say that she had never, ever, met someone so…bare, innocent, and optimistic. In short, he was everything she wasn't. They've both been through some things…When Chuck told her about both of his parents leaving, it broke her heart…but while Sarah's answer was to withdraw in on herself, Chuck seemed to keep plugging along. Life had certainly dinged him up, and she could definitely see some of those effects, but he still seemed so hopeful…it was quite endearing, if not a tad bit annoying.

Chuck was in awe of Sarah Lisa Walker. At first glance she was shy, but if you dug deeper…she was still a bit shy. However, if you went that extra mile which Chuck always seemed to do when making friends, she was every bit outgoing as Carina Miller. Ok, maybe that was a bad choice since Carina was the most extroverted person on the planet, but Sarah was close when she wanted to be and felt comfortable enough. Sarah still held some things close to the vest, mainly her past and all the places she's lived, but he wasn't going to push her to talk about it until she was ready. Chuck was already feeling an ease and a type of connection with her, and it made him feel every bit of the 6'0'' he was…Believe it or not, Ellie had said he was still growing!

After they both finished their homework from their other classes, they took a break. Sarah had called home to let her parents know she was staying for dinner and that she would be home late. It took a bit of convincing, but since it was a Friday, they gave her permission. They had dinner, and as predicted, Sarah loved the pot roast. Chuck usually waited for Ellie to arrive from work to eat dinner, but his sister called home and had said she was working later than usual tonight. He really wasn't all that upset since he was hungry, and he definitely wanted to avoid Ellie in interrogation mode while the three of them ate.

With dinner over, and the dishes cleaned and put away…they had delightfully washed and dried the dishes side by side…they retired to the couch to finally start on their Shakespeare project. They had just started discussing their appointed scene when they heard jiggling coming from the front door doorknob.

* * *

Eleanor was exhausted. School was its usual level of tiredness, but her job had definitely zapped her of whatever energy she had left. She loved where she worked, and she was grateful to the hospital for actually giving her a paid internship while she tried getting into UCLA Medical Center. But tonight, to put it in layman's terms, just simply sucked. The hospital was a bit short staffed this evening and had asked Ellie to pick up a couple more duties on top of her usual ones. She felt like she logged in several miles with all the running around she did at the hospital. All Eleanor wanted to do was skip dinner to soak in her bathtub for hours and go to bed.

Ellie dug her keys out of her purse and opened the door to her apartment. It seemed it didn't matter how tired she was, the moment she stepped foot inside her home, she saw that her little brother was not alone. She quickly approached the two on the couch.

"Hi, I'm Ellie, Chuck's sister."

Sarah was a little flustered by the beautiful brunette in front of her. It sure didn't help that she was just about to discuss kissing Ellie's brother a couple minutes earlier. She really didn't know why, but she desperately wanted Ellie to like her.

In a small voice, Sarah responded. "Hi, I'm Sarah Walker."

Ellie smiled at the girl's shyness. This must have been the Sarah that Carina talked to her about. It was nice to finally put a face to the name as they say. She smiled knowingly at her brother, which only confused Chuck.

"I'm just about to have some dinner. Did you guys eat yet?"

"Yeah we did, sorry I didn't wait sis. But we needed to start on our English project, and I didn't want to keep Sarah here too late."

Ellie nodded and went into the kitchen to fix herself some supper. She was more tired than hungry, and with Chuck having already eaten, Ellie would have loved to trade dinner in for a light snack, but then she wouldn't have as much time to examine the two.

Chuck was a bit nervous and a little wary of the smile Ellie gave him, but he decided to put it at the back of his mind.

"So Sarah, where do you want to start?"

* * *

Ellie exited her room after the divine bath she took. Earlier she had tried to take as much time as she could, 'eating', her dinner but if she prolonged it any longer, it would have definitely been suspicious. Besides, from what she saw from the very beginning, they were absolutely in love with each other…well in Ellie's mind anyways. Unfortunately she found the apartment empty so she figured her little brother must've retired to his room when Sarah went home. She could hear the slightest hint of music coming from his room, but then she heard…_Shakespeare?_

Without really thinking, she knocked on Chuck's door and entered before receiving permission, like she always did. What she saw shocked the hell out of her. Ellie had found out what their English project was when she spied…when she overhead them from the kitchen, so she knew Chuck and Sarah were reenacting the famous kiss scene from Romeo & Juliet. Finding this tidbit out overjoyed her to no end, and she had to summon all the willpower she had to stifle the squeal that escaped her lips. So Chuck rehearsing wasn't a shock, it was the fact that Sarah was still here, and at the moment lying on her baby brother's bed, that startled her.

Ellie quickly apologized and closed the door behind her as she situated herself on the couch for some TV. She thankfully had tomorrow off, so she wanted to relax, but with what just happened, it was going to take some time to unwind again.

A couple of minutes later Chuck walked out of his room, making sure he closed the door behind him in the process.

"El, it's not what you think, let me explain…"

The aspiring doctor cut him off. "Chuck no need. I know you guys were just rehearsing for your English project. Besides, I should be the one apologizing. I hope Sarah isn't as mortified as I feel right now."

Chuck quirked his brow. "She's a little embarrassed, but I think she's fine…So you're really not mad?"

Ellie chuckled. "I trust you little brother. I just hope you remember to stay safe."

"Ellie, we weren't…we're not…it's not…"

Eleanor shook her head in amusement. "Go on Chuck don't keep a girl waiting…" As he walked back to his room, confusion clearly evident on his face, Ellie called out after him. "…She seems nice, I like her." True, she didn't know Sarah, but that was definitely going to change soon enough.

That statement put a smile on Chuck's face, and that's how he entered his room. Sarah saw this, but she was anything but amused.

"Go ahead and smile, you weren't the one who was caught lying on your back, on your bed…And you were hovering above me for goodness sakes! Your sister must think…"

"Relax Sarah. Ellie understood what we were doing was for school. She also says that she likes you."

Sarah snorted which Chuck found adorable. "Sure she does." The disbelief was evident in her tone.

"We should probably stop working since it's getting kind of late. If you want, instead of calling your parents to pick you up, I can drive you home."

"You have a car?"

Chuck smiled sheepishly. "Well no, but I have a license. I can just ask Ellie if we could borrow the mustang…For some reason, our dad left us that car when he left, and Ellie loves it. Oddly enough, she never wanted to sell it, even when we needed the money. I don't know."

Sarah smiled apologetically. The pain of the memory of his father was evident so she needed to keep the conversation moving forward. She was tired of Shakespeare, but she wanted to stay with Chuck just a little bit longer. It was rather out of character, but she decided to voice what she wanted.

"I agree, and yeah it would be great if you could take me home, but I was wondering if I could hang out for a bit."

Chuck was stunned. Did Sarah really want to stay just to spend some time with him? All he could do was nod his approval of the idea.

Sarah shifted to give him some room to sit down. Chuck gladly took it as they positioned the pillows so they could both sit comfortably against the small bureau at the head of the bed that also acted as a headboard.

They were positioned next to each other, their sides connected, Sarah's head slowly drifting towards Chuck's shoulder as they listened to music and talked about anything and everything. And that's exactly the position Carina Miller found them in when she entered Chuck's room.

"What the hell!?"

* * *

**A/N (2): What'chall think? **

**Any and all reviews are much appreciated.**


End file.
